Lucien Blackthorn
Lucien Blackthorn is a Gilnean man that hails from the town of Emberstone Village, a small mining town in north eastern Gilneas. Born to Jacklyn and William Blackthorn, Lucien has lived a relatively quiet and normal life throughout his time on Azeroth. History Young Years Lucien was the first child of Jacklyn and William, born to them several years before the erection of the Greymane Wall. As a young one, Lucien was raised in a loving family within the community of Emberstone, often playing with his younger brother and sister throughout the carefree days of his youth. Deemed as soft hearted by many, Lucien would often be the subject of pranks or bullying by the other children through the first few years until the discovery of such treatment by his father, William. Unwilling to allow his son to become traumatized by such youthful treatments, William began to teach Lucien the art of swordplay at the age of eight. William, a veteran of the Second War and known swordsman, believed his son would gain a bit of a more stern position if he was able to defend himself. It didn't take long until Lucien began to defend himself from would be bullies, getting in a rather large scrap that left two boys unconscious and Lucien with a broken arm after he'd beat them with a wooden sword. Following the incident, Lucien's bullying ceased, leaving him to resume his carefree lifestyle with his friends and siblings. At the age of twelve, Lucien began apprenticeship under the local blacksmith, Jolen Marshworth. Jolen was an old family friend of the Blackthorns and felt that Lucien had a calling to metal working as he was quick to learn and made finely crafted blades at a young age. Approaching his teenage years, Lucien and Jolen began to travel the country side of Gilneas in order to learn smithing techniques from the other townships across the country. For the most part, Lucien learned valuable techniques from regions such as Brandon's Stead or Duskhaven, but the most notable stop was Stormglen Village. Nearing the end of the duo's trek, Jolen brought them to the village of Stormglen to study the quality of wood from the Blackwald, which could be used for sturdier hafts on weapons. The pair was only to stay the summer before finally returning home to Emberstone with new knowledge in tow. While within the village studying, Lucien became smitten with a local farm girl by the name of Roselain Wyrmcrest. The two became inseparable for a time before a small tryst had begun in the Blackwald one night. The occasion was marked by the girl's mother, Amarinde Blackburn chasing the young lad across the village with a broom, spewing all sorts of profanities at the youth. Though young love had hit them hard, the two knew their time would eventually come to an end. They exchanged leather bracelets and a promise to meet again before Lucien departed back for Emberstone Village. Adult Life While the third war raged on beyond the Greymane Wall, Lucien signed up for the Gilnean Military joining a national guard within Gilneas. His first experience with true combat came when the Scourge ravaged through Lordaeron and threatened the sanctity of the wall. Deployed along such forces as the Blades of Greymane and many other still active brigades, Lucien was horrified when faced up against the monstrous undead. Though a skilled swordsman, Lucien nearly met his end when an Abomination attempted to skewer the young warrior on his meat hook. By pure chance, Lucien was saved by an agitated local Black Bear that had charged onto the field. The bear mauled the Abomination and continued to rampage near Lucien against the undead. Seeing no other choice of salvation as he'd been separated from his group; Lucien defended the bear against the Undead as the pair fended off as many undead as they could from the wall. It was not until Lucien took a gash to the leg that he faltered. For an unknown reason, the bear continued to protect the young warrior, eventually being found by the Gilnean military. Witnesses described the scene as grizzly, with the bear looming over Lucien's fallen form in a defensive stance, as though they were kin. Reports that later went back stated that "The Black Bear killed the lot of the undead within the region", and a miscommunication deemed the sentence as a moniker granted to Lucien rather than a literal bear; thus earning him the title of The Black Bear. Following the incident on the field, Lucien was taken back into Gilneas wounded, the bear in tow, only mere moments before the unleashing of the Worgen onto the field. Following the incident, Lucien took the bear as a pet, naming him Brunir and the two became near inseparable through out Lucien's life behind the wall. During the Northgate Rebellion, Lucien remained in Emberstone along with a small group of loyalists to defend the town from would be rebels. Seryl I was known to have visited the town during this time and was somewhat surprised by the presence of Brunir. During the outbreak of the Worgen curse, Lucien had been lucky enough to remain unaffilicted, as did his family. His father, now aged well past his prime, organized a night watch to keep wary of the feral wolf men that had begun to terrorize the countryside. During a brazen attack, William took a crippling leg injury that left him in need of a cane, though he remained unafflicted from the curse. Alas, the town eventually fell not to the Worgen, but the vicious Forsaken who enslaved the town to make use of the mine. Lucien was not spared the fate of his town members, having forced Brunir to retreat into the wilderness to avoid capture or death. Fall of Gilneas Lucien would eventually be freed towards the end of the Fall of Gilneas, having been branded with dark magic runes across his body that would burn when exposed to sunlight. Said runes were used to keep the more dangerous members of the enslaved miners under tow, and Lucien's imposing figure left him as one of the unfortunate targets. During this time, he covered his runes with a heavy cowl and cloak as well as chain and plate armor to keep the runes from burning him outside. When the Battle for Gilneas City occurred, Lucien along with Brunir took to the streets, fighting off the Forsaken before ultimately being evacuated to Keel Harbor along with his family. Seeking to continue aiding the cause, Lucien trekked to the nearby Gregor's Crossing where he aided with the defense of the town and later led to his enlistment into the Blades of Greymane under the Sons of the Ashen Coast division. His family would eventually move to Stormwind City without him; though his strides in the Sons would lead to his promotion to Major and his movement from Gilneas to the main Grey Division of the Blades under Lord Berenal Grayblade. Reunions and Revelations Lucien continued to serve faithfully under Lord Grayblade, eventually having his runes removed after freeing then corporal Catil White from capture by the Forsaken in the Sludgewerks. The battle culminated with the injury of Lord Grayblade that led him severely injured and hospitalized within Dalaran as it contained the necessary medical ward to save his life. During a visit to the wounded commander, Lucien met with a young woman by the name of Roselain. The two hit it off rather quickly, a night shared between them. It was not until later on that they discovered they were the same youths from their past and they'd reunited as they promised so many years prior. Spurred by the threat of losing what he had gained, it was during this time that Lucien also took up the blood of the Worgen to become immune to the threat of the Val'kyr. The pair quickly became inseparable once again, rekindling their relationship from those many years past while Lucien and Roselain continued to serve the Blades. Things would remain rather consistent until the fall of Theramore. Following his example, his younger brother Johnathon had enlisted in the military, serving Theramore on one of the outlying towns. During the initial attacks by the Horde that would lead to the destruction of the city, Lucien and Roselain would find Johnathon near death. After a tearful reunion, Johnathon became unresponsive, leading to a hasty revival by Wyrmcrest. The revival saved his life, but Johnathon suffered a crippling fall from the tower he was knocked from that left him unable to use the lower half of his body, ending his military career. It was perhaps this that saved his life, as Johnathon returned with the Blades back to Gilneas when they were called from Theramore as he was unable to serve the region any longer, saving him from the mana bomb that would wipe out nearly all life within the city. As time continued in Lucien's life, he eventually proposed and married Roselain, making her his wife. During this period of time, Roselain disappeared without a trace, leaving Lucien alone and worried. He began to question his own beliefs and strengths, and after a long period of searching discovered a hidden druidic potential. Seeking to get closer to his now vanished wife, Lucien took up training as a druid, beginning a long journey to hone his skills. By the time Roselain returned, Lucien was already well on his way to becoming a fully fledged druid, training with her to better his skills. Currently Lucien continues to train as a druid to this day, having hung up his sword and armor in favor of the magical craft. He has begun to delve more into the feral side of druidism, tampering with the forbidden Pack Form, much to Roselain's displeasure. He continues to serve the Blades of Greymane as a major, though he has taken an indefinite leave of absence in order to be of better service to the order when his training is complete. Brunir Brunir is a large black bear from the border Silverpine Forest region that happened upon the Scourge's attempt to break through the Greymane Wall. Though normally not the most docile animal, Brunir's species usually avoids large conflicts out of fear. Something had enraged the large beast however that caused his destinies to collide with Lucien. For whatever reason, Brunir has a strong kinship with Lucien and refuses to leave his side at times. Where ever Lucien goes, the bear is often to follow. Lucien theorizes it was because the two worked together to survive outside the wall that started the relationship, but ultimately it is unknown. Category:Characters Category:Gilnean Category:Worgen Category:Blades of Greymane